Eng 2180 at Radford, 1954

Tue May 27 19:10:48 EDT 2025

Abe

Agree on the location, and direction.

That bridge, I believe was built, not for accessing the tie treating plant, but for the proposed move of the American Viscose plant out of Roanoke to Radford. The line was graded, the track might have been laid but the plant was never built.

American Viscose was unhappy that Roanoke was going to annex the plant into the city for the tax base, this was about mid 1940s.

https://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/detail.php?ID=199742

The plant was never built, but the bridge survives to this day, carrying utilities if I understand correctly. It is fenced off, you cannot get onto the bridge now.

Best
Ken Miller

> On May 27, 2025, at 10:34 AM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
> 
> The link given below leads to a photo (apparently) now held in the Rahway NJ NRHS collection.  The caption location says "Radford."
> 
> It has been a half-Century since I worked the jobs at Radford, so I will have to take a guess at this one.  Guess:  The photo was taken in the curve between Plum Creek and East Radford, looking westwardly, and the engine is likely a Walton Pusher engine headed back to Radford to be turned in after a day's work on the Mountain.
> 
> The bridge in the background will be the key to determining location.  I think that is the bridge over to the railroad's tie treating plant, on what was then called "the island."  
> 
> Did I get that part right?  If so, I walked across that bridge one day 60 years ago, to go over to "the island" and do some pistol target practice.  I recall that the north abutment of the bridge was modern concrete work and had a date of somewhere around 1950 (+/- a year or two) cast into it... if my memory is correct.  The tie plant was all gone by that time and brush was beginning to choke the area.  (But the Clean Out Hole at Payne was the best place for target practice... It featured living, moving targets:  rats ! )
> 
>  https://nrhs.com/gallery-item/rahway-valley-railroad-kenilworth-new-jersey-class-2-8-0-15-consolidation-steam-locomotive-may-17-1953-r-l-liong-photograph-west-jersey-chapter-nrhs-collection-2/
> 
> While we are talking Radford things, can anyone tell me about a part of the Yard/Round House area at East Radford which was referred to as "The Meadow" ?  I recall Yardmaster Deyerle talking about tracks "over in the Meadow," but I never understood what that term really meant.  (Chalk that up to being new and young, and reluctant to expose my ignorance by asking a supervisor for an explanation...)
> 
> Be Well, Drive Safely !
> 
> -- abram burnett
> Ever Eat a Turnip Sam'mich ?
> 
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